Pancake week! 5 activities for you to try
We love making pancakes. In fact, we love any type of cooking with young children. The opportunities for play are endless and there are so many skills they will be mastering along the way.
Language
Depending on your child’s age, this might be as simple as learning the names of the ingredients, describing the actions or it could be a whole host of words to describe the tastes and textures.
The only list you need when packing a hospital bag
Packing your hospital bag can feel both exciting and daunting. The items you see suggested can feel a bit strange when it’s your first baby. I always remember seeing ‘extra-large sanitary towels’ on the list and wondering why on earth I would need them (and then packing a few tiny ones, only to have to send my partner out to buy more when the time came).
Girls are born loving science – how do we keep it that way?
The International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11) celebrates the achievements and contributions of women in science, but also focuses on how to encourage and enable more women and girls to study and work in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects and careers.
All children are born investigative, curious and with an innate desire to understand the world around them. You could definitely say they are born with a love of STEM.
Our favourite pregnancy books
We can’t get enough books in our lives and there are some great ones out there around pregnancy. We asked our team and the My First Five Years community for their favourites.
The bedroom doesn’t need finishing – five myths about prepping for a baby
Parents are big business – why you don’t need a £2.7k pram
A self-driving, motorised stroller was unveiled at a tech show in the US this month. Glüxkind’s Ella smart stroller aims to bring prams into the 21st century… for a cost of £2,700!
“Aims to reduce parents stress,” describes one headline. I can’t help thinking that affordable childcare and improved maternity services might be a better place to start, but hey, perhaps what parents really need is yet another product that will change their lives.
Ten awesome things about being pregnant (that you might not have thought about)
Full disclosure, I did not enjoy being pregnant. I did not enjoy the chafing on my thighs (I actually had to buy some runner's nipple cream at one point), I did not enjoy the lack of sleep and I did not enjoy throwing up in flower beds.
The piece of pregnancy / newborn kit that you can’t be without
Perfect podcasts for pregnancy
We absolutely love a good podcast and imagine you might too. They’re perfect for these later months of pregnancy when you might be too tired to pick up a book at the end of the day or you’re trying to stay active with a bump.
Don't forget your parenting best bits!
Before moving on to thinking about 2023, how about stopping for a moment to recognise some of your wins as a parent from the last twelve months? Your parenting best bits, if you will.
Parenting is the hardest job in the world, so there will undoubtedly have been some challenges and steep learning curves. This is true whether you are pregnant, a first-time parent or have a larger family. But even the long nights can become wins if seen in a new light – by reflecting on what you have learnt or even just acknowledging that you survived some tough experiences.
